The question about who controls the Republican Party is worth debating. I know I am being repetitious, but those that seem to be making the calls now are either extremists or eccentric. The reasonable or rational members have left or been pushed out. In Minnesota, we have come through eight years where the Republican governor refused to really negotiate or compromise so that Minnesota could plan for a bright future. The sad part is that the Republican legislators backed him in these misguided policies. Even sadder is the that Republican legislators are trying the same tactics this year, even though those policies put Minnesota in a very vulnerable position. They now have a governor who is open to compromise and is trying to protect Minnesota, and yet they are sticking to the same tactics they have been using for years. To make things even worse, there is little in fact or historical precedent to even back them up. David Brooks does a great job of covering the current Republicans in the New York Times article “ The Mother of All No-Brainers.” The article says that Republicans are so attached to their philosophical ideals that they have lost all capacity for compromise and governing. In essence, they have no sense of responsibility for the office they hold.
How long until people understand this and give up on the Republican Party ? How long before everyone starts paying attention to the actions of the Republicans rather than the message? They may have good entertainment value, but there is little evidence that the Republicans are fiscally conservative or care about the greater good. Just look at the fix Minnesota is in. It is hard to believe that the past governor refuses to accept responsibility for the current problems and is encouraging the Republican legislators to stand pat.
Instead of working on jobs and the budget, the Republican majority spent the session working on a host of low priority issues that are divisive and will put the state deeper in debt. Example, the cost of Constitutional Amendments doesn’t come cheap. The cost of demeaning segments of the population doesn’t help the economy or the image of Minnesota. The fact that Minnesota has a government that can’t work could hardly be considered an attraction for business. The current group of Republicans legislators are extremely narrow-minded and short-sighted. How will they ever justify the damage they have done? A bigger question is do they care?